Moorestown Fire District Elections Set For Saturday

MOORESTOWN, NJ — The first elections of the year are this weekend. Elections will take place in Moorestown Fire Districts No. 1 and 2 on Saturday, 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. The date and time is set by the state.

Residents in each district will be asked to vote on a budget. One includes a tax decrease, while the other includes a tax increase.

Fire District No. 1’s $2,332,744 budget includes a decrease of .063 cents per $100 of assessed valuation to .062, according to Moorestown Fire District No. 1 Administrator Chris Chesner. The amount to be raised by taxation will decrease by $9,591.

If approved, the owner of the averaged assessed home of $454,032 would pay $281.49 in Fire Taxes in 2020.

The overall budget decreases by $201,064, a 7.9 percent decrease from last year. It includes funding for repairs at Station 312 on Chester Avenue. This includes upgrades and renovations for two ADA compliant bathrooms; ceiling tile replacements and ventilation upgrades in the apparatus rooms; new flooring, lighting and painting in the second floor meeting space; and upgrades to a non-slip floor in the apparatus room to prevent firefighter injury.

Commissioners R. Max Fisher and Grant R. Leuliette will both run unopposed for re-election to three-year terms on the Moorestown Fire District No. 1 Board of Commissioners.

Voting in District 1 will take place at the Emergency Services Building, 261 West Main Street.

“We will continue to have a presence during events on Main Street in which we will be actively recruiting volunteer firefighters,” Chesner said.

This includes continuing a program in which it offers tuition reimbursements to certified firefighters who attend Rowan College at Burlington County and volunteer at either of the two stations 16 hours a week.

“This will help with daytime response and one more program we are trying to initiate to keep Moorestown a volunteer fire department and taxes low,” Chesner said.

Fire District No. 2’s $1,434,906 budget includes an increase in the tax rate of one-tenth of one cent to 9.8 cents per $100 assessed value, according to Moorestown Fire District No. 2 Director of Fire Services Stephen Knobbs. The proposed amount to be raised by taxation increases $14,123, and the tax levy is $786,790.

If approved, the owner of the average assessed home of $215,249 would increase by $2.15.

“The District welcomes and encourages residents to come out and vote,” Knobbs said. “Hopefully, the residents are pleased with how the board has managed the budget, continually looking for ways to find cost savings while maintaining services provided to both residents and businesses. We are dedicated to the protection of life and property of our residents and community, and strive to deliver excellence in our commitment of quick and efficient emergency response and fire prevention.”

Knobbs said the commissioners worked hard to contain budget costs while funding needed building and equipment maintenance and replacing expiring firefighter gear. Last year, the district repainted the outside of the firehouse, recoated a portion of the firehouse roof, installed dedicated turnout gear cleaning equipment, fully cleaned and repainted the inside of the engine room, and replaced the engine room ceiling in the firehouse, Knobbs said. It was done as part of an ongoing effort to reduce carcinogens firefighters are exposed to.

Howard C. Mann Sr. will run unopposed for a three-year term on the Moorestown Fire District No. 2 Board of Commissioners.

Voting in District No. 2 will take place at the Lenola Fire House, 229 N Lenola Road.